


Carving wood under the black sky

by FaustGirl



Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-22 17:25:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12486960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaustGirl/pseuds/FaustGirl





	1. Chapter 1

The cab stopped at the entrance of Maple Bay and a girl with amber honey hair and eyes as dark as the night went out of it.  
The taxi driver pulled her things out of the trunk, and after paying him, she dragged her suitcase to her favorite coffee shop.  
She stopped in front of The Coffee Spoon and smiled to see that nothing had changed since she left.  
She slowly opened the door and entered the building.  
A soft melody came to her ears and she walked to the counter, leaving her things at a table.  
The shop looked empty, but she could hear someone moving things in the back room.  
She waited patiently for someone to appear until the door opened and a man came out carrying a box.  
He realizing he had clients and quickly left the box in it's place and approached the counter.  
When he saw the girl, he was paralyzed.

"Celine?".

She smiled and he stepped out from behind the counter.

"Hi Mat, I'm glad to see you, how's everything?".

Mat hugged her tightly with a warm smile.  
It had been so long since the last time they had met, he could have sworn she was taller.

"I can not complain, everything as always except for one thing, recently someone new have moved to Cul de sac, you could go later to pay them a visit".

"When I have completely installed in, I may go for a walk around to see what I can find".

They both laughed and he walked over to the coffee machine.

"As usual?".

"Yes please".

"Chai Antwoord as always".

As Mat prepared her drink she spent a moment in the bathroom to cool off a little after such a long trip.  
She looked at herself in the mirror several times and ruffled her hair before leaving.  
She saw that on the table where she had placed her things was what she had ordered and a plate with a tasty piece of chocolate cake next to a note that said "On the house.".  
After sitting down she took out her laptop and began to write an email to her mother although she knew that she probably would not receive it if she was in Nepal, although to be precise she did not know when she would return.  
When she was immersed in her thoughts, she had not noticed that the door had opened and a dark skinned man in a black leather jacket and sunglasses came in.  
Mat greeted him and exchanged a few words and gave him what he had asked for and sat on the opposite side of the room where Celine was.  
She noticed that someone was staring at her, and when she looked up, her eyes met the stranger's eyes for a fraction of a second, but it was enough to make her face start to burn and her cheeks turned pink.  
She tried to focus her gaze again on the laptop and when she had finished she got up, paid and said goodbye to Mat.

"See you tomorrow Celine".

"See you tomorrow Mat".

She left the shop dragging her heavy suitcase behind her and when the door closed Robert looked at Mat with a question that he did not have time to formulate, since he was ahead of him.

"I know her, and I do not know if you'll remember Monique, because she's her daughter".

"I remember her, she worked in the hospital but got tired of it and went to see the world, but I did not know that she had children".

"Celine just came on vacations, but I think that she ahd finished her studies after four years, we will see her a lot more here".

Robert sighed slightly, paid for his coffee and left after saying good-bye to Mat as he noticed the girl's dark eyes still fixed on him.

 

Celine opened the door to her house and the smell of wet soil and flowers filled her nostrils.  
She left the suitcase and shoulder bag next to the door, and while she put on some more comfortable clothes, she saw that someone had watered the plants and cleaned the dust.  
She wrinkled her nose a little but thought her mother probably would have asked a neighbor to look after the house while she was away.  
Someone knocked on the door, making her jump a little, and when she opened it, she saw that on her porch was a blond man with a plate of cookies in his hands.  
When she saw him, she smiled slightly, trying to remember who he was until she found the name she was looking for.

"Joseph, right?".

"Hello, I thought about coming a little bit because my son told me that someone with a suitcase had come in and I came to see who it was".

"It's clearly not my mother, but come on in, do not stay at the entrance".

"Thank you".

She entered the house followed by Joseph and they went to the kitchen where they chatted some hours of the morning while they ate the cookies that he had brought.  
About lunch Joseph left the house but he stopped by the porch stairs.

"Soon we will celebrate a barbecue with all the neighbors and I wonder if you would like to come".

"Of course, it will be great, and I can meet the person who Mat told me that has moved here recently".

The blond smiled sinisterly for an instant that later became a wider one.  
Celine thought she had imagined it, but still a slight chill ran down her spine.  
When she closed the door she turned and stared for several minutes at the ground until she managed to react and a scream on the outside caught her attention.  
She ignored it and ate something until it could had heard again.  
Celine went out into the garden and a series of laughter emerged from the garden of the house next to her own.  
She peered around the fence and watched as a red-haired man and a girl argued lively about what was the best thing you could put in a sandwich.  
They both turned slightly at the sight of her presence and greeted her.

"Hi, I don't think they introduced us, my name is Ethan Stirrs and this is my daughter Amanda".

The man approached the fence and they shooked hands.

"My name is Celine, nice to meet you".

Amanda walked over to the fence and pointed to the bracelet on the older girl.

"Where did you get that bracelet? It's amazing".

Celine climbed up to the fence and showed it to her.

"My mother brought it to me from Korea when she went there on vacation, although I honestly like your jacket much better, I have a similar one, but it's not so cool".

Ethan left the two girls talking and concentrated on finishing unpacking all the stuff they had in boxes until Amanda entered the room.  
She looked very happy, and he smiled at the idea that she had made a friend so quickly from the neighbor, who seemed to have arrived just recently too.

"Celine is great, and she's given me this".

She opened the palm of her hand and showed her a pin decorated with the head of a small, adorable deer.  
Ethan took it and looked at it carefully before handing it back to his daughter.

"It's very nice Amanda, you could put it in your jacket with the others".

She nodded and placed it next to the others ones she already had.  
Her father went into the kitchen and began to prepare dinner while she finished putting things in her new room.

Celine laughed as she held the phone in one hand and had dinner with the other, trying not to let anything fall to the floor.  
She had been talking to her mother for a long time by video call and they kept up with everything that had happened until they had to hang up.  
She clined up the kitchen, took a quick shower, and got into bed to try to get some sleep.  
The next day she would try luck searching for a job in the town's veterinary clinic.


	2. Chapter 2

The alarm clock blasted as loud as the phone's loudspeaker allowed it and a drowsy Celine turned it off before walking slowly into the shower.  
She let the cold water wake her up completely as she washed her hair.  
After she closed the water she covered herself with her favorite bathrobe and dried her hair before entering the kitchen dressed in a huge T-shirt and underwear.  
She ate breakfast as fast as she could, some coffee and toasts and went back into the bedroom.  
The girl opened the closet and watched it doubtfully until she found what she was looking for.  
She put on a navy blue dress and dark brown boots and made her way to Maple Bay's veterinary clinic.  
During the previous days she had exchanged mails and calls with the owner, who assured her that she would have a place there if she wanted it.  
Her quick steps led her to a building called The Hairy Paw and she entered it.  
Behind the reception table was a black-haired girl who smiled at her.

"Good morning, are you Celine?".

"Good morning, yes, I am Celine".

"Perfect, follow the left aisle to a blue door, Aaron is waiting for you".

"Thank you".

She said goodbye to the woman and entered through the door she had indicated.  
Inside the room was a man in his thirties and she knew that he must been Aaron.  
She closed the door behind her and he offered her a seat.

"I'm glad you could come as soon as possible, Celine, we needed someone to cover the gap and you'd be so interested in the calls we kept that I assumed I should give you the job".

"It would be a pleasure to work with you Aaron, just tell me what to do and I'll get to it".

He smiled and laughed.

"That is the spirit that I like to see, and if it were for me, you could start right now, but I need to see for a few days how you do it and if I'm pleased the job is yours, so come tomorrow at the same time and we will start".

"Perfect, see you tomorrow".

Celine got up and before she could leave, he gave her a file.

"Can you take it to Isabelle when you go out? I'm drowning in work and I can not get up for a second".

"Sure, I'll give it to her right away".

"Thank you very much".

She nodded a little and left the office.  
Celine walked over to the reception desk and set the folder on top.

"Isabelle, she asked me to give you this".

"Great, thank you so much Celine, see you tomorrow".

"See you tomorrow".

As she left the clinic she grinned and walked happily to her house, where she met Amanda and Ethan.

"Good Morning".

They both greeted her and she entered the house.  
The girl left her things on the couch and opened the refrigerator from which she pulled out a bottle of juice.  
She emptied it in a matter of seconds and went into her room to change.  
The honey-haired girl carefully stored her clothes in the closet and dressed with sport shorts and a black T-shirt that had a wolf's head drawn on a blood-dripping claw.  
She spent the rest of the morning cleaning the house and decided to move some furniture to try to make more space in the living room, since it was the only room in the house where she spent more time if she was not sleeping.  
Celine pushed the coffee table aside and left a giant pillow in that place before pulling out a box of cereal from the kitchen.  
She set it down on the coffee table and switched on the console.

 

"Fuck this shit...".

Celine threw the controller on the cushion in front of her and pulled out a handful of cereal from the box.  
She put them in her mouth as she turned the console off and stood up to see what time it was.  
She went to change her shirt and took her yoga mat.  
She arrived just in time for the next yoga class and collected her hair in a ponytail.  
Celine placed her mat in it's usual place in the back of the room and listened as someone approached her.  
Of all the possible places she didn't expect to find Robert Small in a fucking yoga class.

"Robert?".

He greeted her equally astonished and placed his mat next to her when they found they had room enough.

"I didn't take you for someone who does yoga, but surely you think of me the same way, I only come when I remember it".

She laughed at his comment and sat down on the mat.

"You've read my mind, and if this can relax you, I owe you a beer when we're done".

"Seem right to me".

The instructor came in and began to give the class.  
After a good while Celine discovered that Robert didn't develop badly, but still it lacked much way to reach her level, since some of the postures only had managed to do it herself and two other people.  
Robert looked at her several times during class and certain thoughts arose in his head, although he had to put them apart when the instructor called for his attention.  
When they were doing the Adho Mukha Svanasana pose or the Downward-Facing Dog, Celine glanced forward expecting to see Robert's face, but instead his butt received her.  
It made her turn red as a tomato and the poor girl tried to regain concentration as she tried to get that image out of her mind, though she had to admit that those pants were not too bad on him.  
At the end of the class both sat on the floor and Celine drank from her bottle.

"You don't do it so bad, kiddo, you looked like you were made of rubber".

"I've been doing this for quite a few years, so I understand that I looked like rubber to you".

She smiled and handed him the bottle.  
Robert gave it a couple of drinks and handed it back to her.

"Thanks, and talking about drinking, now that you seem more relaxed I owe you a beer".

"Then don't talk any more and let's go get them".

They left the gym and instead of going to a bar as Robert thought at first, Celine took him to her house.  
Shee fumbled for her keys and opened the door.

"Get comfortable, as if it were your house".

They left things on the table at the entrance and she went to the kitchen.  
He stayed in the living room and looked at everything she had on a shelf next to the TV until something caught his attention.

"Do you like paranormal stuff?".

"I don't like it, I love it!".

She walked over to him and handed Robert the beer.

"Thank you".

They sat on the couch and spent the rest of the morning sharing stories and theorizing about the ghost of Dover and Mothman.  
At noon Robert picked up his things to leave but she stopped him.

"I know this will seem a little bold on my part, since we don't know each other well at all, but...would you like to stay for lunch?".

She looked at him somewhat embarrassed with her huge, beautiful black eyes on which a strand of honey-colored hair had fallen.

"I would love to stay for lunch, after all you invited me to beer and we can get to know each other better".

He winked at her making her cheeks even more red.  
Celine smiled and clasped her hands behind her back before entering the kitchen to prepare the meal.


	3. Chapter 3

The first days at the clinic were not too complicated and little by little, Celine was learning everything she needed.  
That morning she and her companion Elliott paid a visit to the animal shelter to check the condition of the animals and in case any of the animals was sick, take it with them.  
When they arrived there they were received by some of the volunteers who worked there, who took them to the area where the animals were.  
As they inspected them, Celine cell phone began to ring and had to go to the recception to pick it up.  
At the end of the call she turned to return with Elliott and bumped into someone.

"Sorry, I didn't see where I was going".

"Do not worry, it was my fault, too".

The girl bent to pick up her phone and the man who had hit her looked at her in surprise.

"Celine?".

"Damien?".

They both looked at each other without being able to close their mouths and hugged each other.  
The last time Damien had seen her was before she went to college.  
He had not known much about her since she left, but he was glad to see her again.

"You're prettier than I remembered."

She smiled and parted.

"Thank you, I also see you very well, how is Lucien?".

"Well, although you know, he's in that rebellious age and sometimes he's a little uncontrollable".

"It will pass, do not worry and tell me, do you work here or have you come to see the dogs?".

"I work here as a volunteer, and you?".

"Well, I came with my partner to see the animals in case we had to take them to the clinic".

Damien smiled and carried her with him.

"I'm glad to see that you've managed to work on something that you like, you look very comfortable".

"The truth is that, yes, I like it a lot and if everything goes well I thought about staying here instead of going to live with my father".

"That would be great, we've missed you".

Once the revision of the animals was over, Celine said goodbye to Damien and Elliott and went home.  
She spent the rest of the afternoon talking to her college friends as they told her about what had happened to them after they graduated.

 

A couple of days later the event they all were waiting finally arrived and everyone prepared to go to the Christiansen house.  
Celine prepared a huge tray of chocolate cookies with Amanda's help.

"Could you bring there the cookies while I dress?".

"Sure Celine, see you there".

Amanda took the big plate of cookies and went to Joseph's house to see if his father was already there or she had to go get him to make him go to the barbecue.  
Celine stared at the closet for several minutes until she found what she wanted to wear.  
She pulled out of the wardrobe some shorts and a light pink top.  
From beneath the bed she pulled out a pair of pink canvas slippers, and from a box of the bedside table she took a flower-shaped earrings, a choker, and a ring with small cat ears.  
She picked up the strands of hair that fell on her face with a bow of the same color as her T-shirt and after picking up the cell phone, keys and sunglasses she approached Joseph's garden.  
The barbeque looked quite lively and the adults talked amongst themselves discussing topics that the kids did not understand.  
The smell of cooking meat filled the air and made their mouths water.  
As soon as they saw her appear, everyone greeted her and Craig offered her a drink.

"Thanks dude".

River made little noises when she saw Celine and she stood up to her and began to make funny faces.  
The little girl started to laugh and stretched her little arms to try to get the sunglasses she had in her hand.

"No, no, this is still not for you, you still have to grow up a little bit so I let you put them on".

She put on her glasses and let them rest on the top of her head as she laughed with Craig as he watched River's small protests.  
At that moment someone pulled her arm and turned to see Carmensita.

"Do you play with us?".

She pointed to the group of children, including Amanda and Daisy, Brian's daughter, and watched her waiting for her response.

"Of course I will play".

"Great, you're the best".

Carmensita kissed her on the cheek and ran to the other children.  
Celine joined them shortly after and on the way to the small group she saw Robert talking to Brian and waved at them.  
They greeted her back and watched as she played with the children.

"What do you want to play?".

Everyone began to propose games until, among all, Daisy raised her voice a little more so she could hear it.

"We could play Long Haul Paranormal Ice Road Ghost Truckers".

"It's a good idea, does anyone want to propose something else?".

After a few minutes as no one said anything they started to play in the garden until the burgers were ready and they stopped to catch one.  
Amanda and her talked for a while and Celine asked all kinds of questions about what she wanted to do in college.

"I'm sure you'll do great".

"I hope so too, but only time will tell".

"True, very true".

They all sat in a circle around Celine and she gave her hamburger to Amanda before getting up and approaching Craig.

"Will you leave River with me for a while, so you can relax a little and enjoy the barbecue".

"Sure, she'll have a good time, she really likes you".

Craig pulled the baby out of her harness and left her in Celine's.  
They both thought she would cry, but instead she smiled and grabbed her shirt with her little hand.  
She took her with the other children and took some bread and water before sitting on the floor.  
All the parents were quite calm and talked animatedly as they knew that while she was there they did not have to worry.  
Robert went to the table where the drinks were and poured some lemonade into a glass.  
Very carefully he took it to Celine and she again turned slightly red.

"Thank you...".

"You're welcome".

Robert walked away from the group of kids and approached Damien and Lucien.  
The children's laughter and cries filled the garden and they did not stop talking about all sorts of things and adventures they had had until the sun began to set and one to one went away.

"Thank you all for coming".

When they had almost gone, she approached the table where the food had been and put her cookies in a bag Joseph had given her.  
She noticed that someone was approaching her from behind and turning slightly her head saw that it was Robert, who was carrying a plastic cup from which a suspicious smell of alcohol came out.

"Those cookies were yours?".

"Yes, I baked all I could this morning".

"They were delicious, and I wondered if I could take them, if you do not mind of course...".

Celine looked at the bag and then looked at Robert.  
She let out a small laugh and handed him the bag.

"Here, they are all yours, enjoy".

"I'll do it".

He winked at her and smirked before leaving the garden and her there with her face more pink than her T-shirt.  
When she regained her composure, she took leave of Joseph's and left the garden with Ethan.

"What a barbecue".

"It's been good, but at some point I've seen you tense".

"I know, I do not like being surrounded by so much people...".

"I understand, sometimes it happens to me, you start to overwhelm and there is no way to stop it".

They walked together to their homes and said goodbye before going to their door.

"See you tomorrow Celine".

"Good evening, Ethan".


	4. Chapter 4

The morning at the veterinary clinic had been quite busy and no one had been able to stop even a single second.  
During the middle of the morning a woman and a girl brought their guinea pig because they noticed something strange in the animal and it took some time until they managed to solve it.  
Near noon, Celine had been busy reviewing some reports while taking care of a couple of kittens that had been brought to them the night before.  
One of them was blind in one eye, and he was the one who had most attached himself to her, since whenevershe left him with his brother, he meowed tirelessly until she picked him up again.  
Robert Small parked the car in front of the clinic and, after getting out of it, he picked a dog out of the passenger seat.  
The poor dog had one leg wrapped in gauze and bandages.  
Upon entering the building he approached the reception desk where he was received by a boy with light brown hair.

"How can I help you sir?".

Robert showed him the dog and when he saw her leg he picked up the phone on the table and talked to someone.  
Shortly after, he hung up and pointed to the corridor.

"Follow that corridor to the door number three".

"Thank you".

When he got to the place where the door number three was, he opened it and entered.  
Inside he could hear barks and meows from several dogs and cats.  
A woman was sitting in a chair typing in front of a computer and beside her she had a kitten that she caressed from time to time.  
Upon realizing that someone had entered, she turned around with the kitten in her hands and with her face flooded with surprise she left it with his brother before approaching the examination table.

"Put it on here and I'll take a look at that paw".

Robert did as he was told and the dog tried to return to his arms.  
Celine pulled some treats out of a drawer and tried to calm the animal before removing the improvised bandage that covered the wound.  
It had a cut that probably needed some stitches.

"What is her or his name?".

"Her name is Betsy".

She gave her a couple of treats so that she was still and stroked her head.  
Celine prepared everything she needed to proceed and looked at Robert a little worried.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to see it...".

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, someone should stay with her".

Robert watched as she cleaned, sewed and bandaged the wound so that she couldn't remove it.  
When she finished, she gave her some more treats and stroked her until she was calmer.

"Good girl Betsy".

Betsy barked happily and wagged her tail energetically.  
He stroked her slowly to make sure she was okay and sighed in relief.

"I didn't take you for a dog person and by the way, how was the cut made?".

"Well, you see that I have one, and I think she could have cuted herself with a bottle that she threw and I didn't make in time to clean it".

Betsy sniffed and licked Celine's hand lightly and she picked her up.  
The dog barked several times and left her on the ground.  
She limped a bit, but she knew that the wound would not open.

"You could leave her here until she is completely healed, so she could have a look every day".

"I don't see why not, after all it's you who work here and you know what's best".

"Agreed, I'll go tell Elliott to prepare somewhere where she will be comfortable to stay a couple of days".

Robert nodded and stayed with Betsy until the two came back and Elliott picked her up.  
Her owner stroked her head several times before saying goodbye to her.

"Until a few days Betsy".

Celine's co-worker disappeared through the door with the dog and left them alone.  
Robert stared sadly at the door for a long time.  
Celine placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled slightly.

"Don't worry about her, she's in good hands".

He nodded and ran a hand over his face.  
The door to the room opened and through it Isabelle entered.

"Hey Celine, I'm leaving now, have the key and then leave it where it was".

"Sure, see you tomorrow".

They said goodbye with a small gesture.  
Then she took off her white coat and tapped Robert on the arm.

"I need you to leave, you can wait at the reception if you want and ask Elliott how much you owe".

"Ok".

He left and she entered the room they used to change their clothes.  
In less than twenty minutes she came out dressed in her normal clothes and went to the entrance of the clinic.  
Robert got up when he saw her and scanned her completely.  
She was wearing red shorts, a gray T-shirt and black sneakers and a black bag hunged on her shoulder.  
Her hair was now loose and fell over her shoulders and back like a cascade made of honey.  
He noticed that she was talking to him and shook his head several times.

"When she's ready to go home I'll call you and you can come for her".

He nodded slightly and they went out into the street.  
Robert walked to his car after saying goodbye to her and as he put it into motion he had an idea.  
He drove slowly behind her and stopped at a stoplight at the zebra crossing she had to cross.

"Hey Celine, I had thought that if you have nothing to do you could come eat with me".

She stopped short and looked at him with the eyes of a deer that has been caught in front of the lights of a car and it took her a few seconds to react.  
She approached the car and leaned lightly against the passenger door.

"Of course I have nothing to do, and even if I had it if you asked me that way, I could not refuse".

He laughed with his eyes slightly closed and opened the car door.  
After entering she put on her black sunglasses and he started the vehicle.  
During the trip Celine looked around the interior of the truck and smiled slightly when she saw the stickers that were stuck on the dashboard.  
She ran her finger over the T-Rex riding a skateboard and was wearing a cap and she chukled.  
Robert looked at her from the corner of his eye every once in a while looking at what she was doing and that reaction seemed the purest thing he had ever seen.  
They parked near the mall and looked for somewhere to eat.

 

"Was that why you decided to study veterinary medicine?".

"Correct, that marked me a lot and I decided that nobody would suffer in the same way for their pet like I did".

"I assume then that you didn't have any other dogs after Ember".

She shook her head and completely emptied the soda left in the glass.  
They paid the bill and when they left the restaurant they met Ethan and Amanda, who looked at them with a half smile.  
Robert approached them and gave Ethan a squeeze on the shoulder.

"Hello Celine, did you also come to eat here?".

"Yes, but we're done".

Amanda grabbed the other girl's arm and clasped it between her own.  
The older one noticed that she was not wearing her yellow ribbon.

"Has your ribbom broken?".

"This morning when I was in the bathroom and I was wondering if you would help me find a new one".

"It will be a pleasure to help you miss".

The two laughed at the look of the two men and Ethan sighed before smiling.  
He brushed Robert's arm and pointed to a bar to their right.

"I invite you to a beer while these two go out there for God knows how much".

"I like how you think".

The four separated and each one was on different ways.  
Two hours later Amanda and Celine entered the bar with several bags in hand and sat with the two men.  
Celine approached the bar and asked for something to drink for her and for Amanda and when they gave her the drinks she sat down with the rest.

"Thank you".

She lightly pinched her cheek and took out a small bag that had a pattern of moons and gave it to her.  
They spent the rest of the afternoon in the bar until the night began to fall.  
They said goodbye to Ethan and Amanda and climbed into Robert's car.  
He drove to the area where they lived, but when he arrived he passed by and continued driving until he stopped in an alley.  
They got out and she looked at him somewhat confused.  
He said nothing and gestured for her to follow him.  
They walked to an area where there was a Pizza shop and approached the counter.  
The person behind it approached them and put his arm on it.

"What's it gonna be?".

Before Robert could open his mouth Celine went ahead of him.

"Could you give us a medium Hawaiian and in a half you could put some more ham and pineapple? Thanks".

She pulled out her wallet to pay but Robert stopped her.  
His touch was warm and as he withdrew a shudder ran through the girl's body.

"I pay, after all it is rare to find someone who likes pineapple on pizza too apart from me".

He took some money out of his wallet and they sat on the edge of the sidewalk to wait.  
A few minutes later Celine got up and went to one of the stores in front of her.  
She left shortly after with a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag and saw that Robert already had the pizza.

"Come on, I don't want it to get cold".

They got back into the car and he drove through an area full of trees until they reached the top where all of Maple Bay was visible.


	5. Chapter 5

Robert opened the small door in the back of his truck and left the pizza on the floor with the bottle Celine had bought while she watched the view from there.

"This is where I come to masturbate".

At that sentence she turned around and looked at him with very open eyes trying to see if he was joking.

"You have to be kidding...".

"Maybe...or am I?".

She approached the car laughing and sat in the back next to the pizza.

"Any place is good enough to do it".

Robert did not expect that answer and he cleared his throat before sitting down in the back.  
He opened the box containing the pizza and numerous wisps of steam rose.  
They were glad to see that it was already cut and Robert took out the bottle that Celine had bought.

"White zinfandel?".

"It's the only alcoholic drink I like besides beer, although if you do not like it, I could have taken something else...".

The girl clasped her hands nervously against her lap.

"It's okay, don't worry, I like it".

Robert opened the bottle and handed it to her.

"Ladies first".

She chuckled and took a sip while with her free hand she took a piece of pizza and began to devour it.  
When there was only a piece left on the cardboard, both of them were thinking about whether to take it or not and he gave it to her.

"Are you sure?".

"Absolutely".

Celine ate a good part of the piece and when there was a little less than half she looked at him.  
He noticed that she was thinking something, and he did not fail, since shortly after she held the piece to his lips.  
He opened his mouth slowly and chewed half before taking the remaining piece with his teeth and instinctively licked the girl's fingers to clean them, which made her blush and drink a huge swig of wine.  
Neither of them said anything and just looked at the city with some music that Robert had put in the background until Celine shivered slightly and rubbed her shoulders.  
She felt something fall on her and saw that it was Robert's leather jacket.  
The garment was burning and at that moment she did not want to admit it, but the heat and aroma that emanated made her feel much more comfortable.  
Celine watched Robert out of the corner of her eyes and realized how good red was on him.  
The shirt was long sleeve, but that did not make the silhouette of his arms any less remarkable and she had to stop looking because if she didn't she would go crazy.  
She leaned back against the side of the car, but got up again when she felt something on her side.  
When she got it out she saw that it was a knife and she gazed at it with her mouth open.

"If you don't close it something might get inside".

He laughed at her expression and she kicked him in the knee.  
She stuck out her tongue and smiled.

"It's my mouth and I'll do whatever I want with it".

Robert took the knife from her hands and put it in the pocket of his pants.

"If you don't know how to use a knife, it can be very dangerous".

He gave her a handkerchief and she watched him until she understood what was happening.  
In the hand with which she had been holding the knife she had a small blood stain and wiped it quickly.

"I should have cut myself before when I was doing this".

He approached Celine a little and from one of the pocket of his jacket he took out a wooden figure that was shaped like a dog and gave it to her.  
She watched it closely and smiled.

"Is it Betsy?".

"Good eye, I carved it last night".

"Is very pretty".

Celine watched as he picked up a small piece of wood and gave it to her.

"You would like to learn?".

She took the piece of wood and the same knife that he had taken from her.

"If you promise me I'll do it as well as you I would be happy to learn, besides, I never know when I'll need to shape a stake while I'm out there hunting cryptids".

He smiled and picked up another block of wood.

"With those hands I'm sure you'll do even better than me".

She blushed slightly and he began to explain everything she needed to know.

 

Celine stopped abruptly and put one of her fingers to her mouth while squeezing her eyes.

"Have you cut yourself?".

She nodded and Robert rummaged around in the medkit for some bandage he could give her.

"Here, put this on...".

He gave her a band aid and watched her as she opened it deftly with one hand while keeping the finger inside her mouth.  
Without realizing his mind, he began to wander and imagined all kinds of things he could do with her.  
A light blow took him out of his thoughts and he blinked several times before focusing his eyes on the black-eyed girl.

Celine jumped out of the truck and crossed her hands behind her back before turning to Robert.

"Don't you think it's a good time to go hunting for cryptids?".

"Yes, I think it's about time...".

He got out of the car and after taking some things they went into the forest.  
After a couple of unsuccessful hours they decided to return to the car.  
They were a bit dejected, but that didn't stop Celine from cheering Robert.

"Next time I'm sure we'll find something".

"Who knows...".

When they had the car in sight he put the bottle of wine and the empty pizza box in a bag and threw it in a bin.  
She leaned against the car and crossed her arms under her chest.  
Robert's jacket was something big on her and he had to admit that he did not dislike seeing her with it on.

"We'd better go now, give me the jacket".

He held out his hand to get it, but instead she stepped back a little from the car and approached the trees.

"If you want it, you'll have to get me".

Before Robert could react she ran and he followed her while cursing under his breath.  
He was about to catch it several times and when he finally had her in his hands they fell rolling down a small slope of grass.  
When they stopped Robert checked that both were fine and he was paralyzed.  
The luck or the misfortune had wanted that he had instinctively protected Celine with his body and he was on top of her.  
The girl was panting slightly because of the adrenaline that ran through her body as well as the fall and she looked at him with eyes as black as night.

"You're ok?".

"Yes, and you?".

"I think so and next time you think better before doing something like that so we end up throwing ourselves to death".

He frowned and hit a piece of grass that was next to her head.

"I am sorry".

It seemed as if at any moment she was going to cry and when a couple of tears ran down her cheeks his anger vanished.  
It had not been his intention to make her cry.  
He brought one of his hands up to her cheek and gently wiped them off.  
At that moment they realized how they were placed and Celine became redder than a tomato.  
She thought that Robert would get up, but instead he grew closer and closer until their faces were only separated by a few centimeters.  
Their pulse was racing and they were panting slightly.  
She placed her hands on the sides of the man's face and before his astonished gaze she kissed him.  
It was a shy gesture, full of tenderness, which later became more intense as he pressed closer against her, deepening the kiss.  
The taste of pineapple, wine and tobacco mixed in a violent dance that knew no end.  
Celine felt something dig into her hip and a smile appeared on her lips still connected to Robert's.  
She closed her eyes for a moment and the memories she wanted to erase from her head came to her mind.  
He noticed that something was not right when she started to stir and he turned away from her.

"You're good?".

She nodded slightly and muttered something he had trouble hearing.

"I want to go home".

"It's fine, yes, we'd better get back now".

He wanted to help her up but she rejected his hand and climbed the small hill faster than he had ever seen anyone while in his head he wondered if he had done something wrong.  
The return trip was silent and every time he looked at her she avoided his eyes.  
He stopped the car in front of her house and she got out as fast as she could, without even saying goodbye to him.  
Upon entering his house Robert poured himself a glass of Whiskey and lay on his bed thinking about everything that had happened that night and some way of apologizing to her if he had done something to her.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been two weeks since that night in the forest and Robert had tried by all means to talk to Celine, but she was avoiding him.  
It was very frustrating what was happening and he did not understand why she was behaving like that.  
While he was taking Betsy out for a walk through the cemetery, he ran into Damien, who immediately noticed that something was wrong.

"Good afternoon Robert, you look somewhat discouraged, has something happened?".

He sat on the picnic blanket and sighed.

"It would take less to tell you what does not happen...".

The two remained silent for a few minutes until Damien put a hand on his shoulder.

"Has something happened with Celine?".

Robert ran his hands over his face and hair and stared at the floor.  
He didnt knew how to tell him.  
He took a deep breath and lay down on the blanket.

"I think I screwed up with her, the only good thing that happens to me and I always fuck up everything...".

"Did you kiss her?".

"We fell down a hill in the forest and she was the one who kissed me, after that she started acting strangely as if she was scared".

Damien covered his mouth with his hands and shook his head slightly.

"She did not tell you right?".

Robert sat up slightly and looked directly at Damien for answers.  
He cleared his throat.

"That she is behaving like this has a motive...and it happened at the party that her classmates did at the end of the course during her second year at the university".

"And they decided to do it in the forest".

"Exactly, in those days Celine was going out with a boy who was going to her class, they met during the first course and several months later they started to date, the thing is that he must have had some serious problems and every time it was more complicated".

"Let him guess, he started hitting her to vent his anger".

"Indeed".

Hearing that, Robert clenched his fists and hit the ground.

"Son of a bitch".

"The worst thing was that after drinking, they thought it was a good idea to stay in the woods where no one could see them, and everything went well until he started hitting her, even trying to strangle her".

A strong chill ran through them both.

"I suppose then that he must have taken her for dead and hid the body".

"He wasn't very smart, because two days later a couple passing through the area found her and they took her to the hospital, where they managed to identify her thanks to the tattoo on her leg, because some months earlier she had passed by having fallen from the roof of the house of one of her friends very drunk".

Damien drank some wine and offered Robert a little.

"When she managed to recover her mother changed her to a university at the other end of the country and it was there where she finished her studies, in addition to returning here".

After hearing the story from Damien, he couldn't help but feel badly with himself for having done something like that.

"I'm an asshole".

"Robert, it's not your fault, you could not know and she did not tell you, what I think is you should go and talk to her".

"She's been avoiding me for two weeks, I don't think she's willing to do that now".

"Try it, I'm sure it will be good for her to get rid of that thorn".

"I'll see what I can do, but I don't promise anything, thanks".

"You're welcome".

While Robert was walking away with Betsy, he saw Ethan enter the other end of the cemetery and kiss Damien before sitting down.

 

Celine slowly closed the fridge and opened the sink faucet to wash the things she had used at dinner.  
A couple of knocks on the door interrupted her work and she looked through the peephole to see who it was.  
The blood in her body froze when she saw Robert there and she didn't know what to do.  
Her head struggled between opening the door or not because she knew he would not go away so easily.  
Finally after a few minutes she opened the door.

"What do you want, Robert?".

"I've come to talk with you, can I enter?".

"No, you can't, if you have to tell me something, do it out here".

"All right...".

They established eye contact for a second and he knew that she wasn't feeling well, because he had never seen such marked dark circles on her face.  
Robert tried to find the right words and after much thought he spoke.

"I feel like a shit because of what happened, but I didn't know anything either, Damien told me and I swear I would like to kill that motherfucker with my hands...".

Anger contracted his face, but he relaxed when Celine covered his hand with her's.

"It's not your fault, I'm the one who kissed you and the one who has been avoiding you all these days, it's my fault...".

"Don't say that, it's not your fault, none of this is, so tell me what I have to do to not fuck up this like everything I have done throughout my life".

She approached slowly and buried her face in his chest.  
Robert heard small sobs and put his arms around her.

"You are safe, don't cry, nothing will happen to you...".

While she was crying, he made her enter the house and sat her on the sofa.  
He went to the kitchen and brought a glass of water while trying to calm her down.

"You'll think I'm... a big baby...by doing this...".

"Not at all, take this".

Celine picked up the glass and emptied it in a sigh before lean towards Robert.  
He put his arm around her shoulders and they remained silent while he noticed small tremors that came from the girl's body.  
Seeing that she was calmer, he got up and began to search through the kitchen cupboards until he found a bowl and a packet of popcorn.  
He put it in the microwave while she watched him from the sofa.  
The smell of popcorn with caramel filled the room and she got up to go to the fridge.

"I don't have beer".

"Take what you have, anything is good".

Celine rummaged in a cupboard that was over the refrigerator, but she couldn't see well what was inside, so she picked up a chair.  
Robert approached her and kissed the tattoo that covered the side of her left thigh.  
She giggled and ran her fingers through his hair before coming down with a bottle of tequila.

"How about some shots? It's the only thing I have and I think there's some lemon somewhere...".

"If it's about shots, I'm your man".

She smiled broadly and Robert sighed in relief that she was feeling better.  
The girl with honey-colored hair took out a couple of small glasses and some salt while he cuted a lemon and left everything on the island that separated the living room and the kitchen.  
They took the popcorn from the microwave and put it in the bowl that Robert had taken.  
She took them to the living room and filled the bottom of the glasses with tequila.  
She gave one of them to Robert and they licked the salt in their hand, drinked it and bited the lemon they had in the other.  
The brunet filled the glasses again and handed her another piece of lemon.  
She sat on the counter with her feet were floating in the air.  
Before he could put salt in his hand Celine took it and put his index finger in her mouth to lick it and covered it with a pinch of salt.  
She sucked it again to clean it and drank her glass before biting the piece of lemon he had given her.  
That made a spark of pleasure run through Robert's body and stoped right in his crotch, where the jeans he wore suddenly seemed a little tight.  
He in response approached her and slowly licked the area between her ear and neck and covered it with salt before doing the same thing she did moments before.  
If both had wanted to aroused the other they had achieved it quite well, but they knew that it was not the time to continue on that dark road, so they sat on the sofa.  
Robert took off his leather jacket and placed it on the backrest.  
Celine took the remote control and began to change the channel trying to find something, but when she failed she searched one of the shelves that were next to the television and took a DVD box.

"Is it about monsters?".

"You will see".

She returned to the sofa and kissed him before sitting down.  
They placed themselves in a somewhat more comfortable posture and concentrated on watching the movie.

 

The chirping of the birds woke Celine, who looked around without knowing very well where she was and noticed that something was covering her.  
Taking it off her, she remembered that it was Robert's leather jacket and noticed that something moved beneath her.  
A hand rested on her thigh and she smiled when she saw Robert with his forearm on his face blocking the sun.  
She layed on top of him and kissed his neck several times.  
He growled slightly and looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"What time is it?".

"Twelve o'clock, although I assume you'll want to sleep more".

"That sounds nice".

"You can sleep in my room".

"Are you sure?".

"All yours."

The black-eyed girl smiled and kissed him lightly before lifting him up and putting him on his bed.

"Don't you want to stay?".

"I have work to do, sleep as much as you want".

"Thanks sweetie".

She closed the door of her room after kissing him on the forehead and while he slept she picked up all the mess they had made the night before.


End file.
